Veteran burial fee bill receives final legislative passage

BATON ROUGE - A $745 fee has been set by Louisiana lawmakers for burials in state veterans' cemeteries. But the cost won't be shouldered by veterans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs says the federal government has been paying for veterans' burials. But the agency says a recent attorney general's opinion suggested the fee rate needed to be set in law by the Legislature.

The same charge is being set for a veteran's spouse or relative to be buried in the veterans' cemetery. That fee, too, already has been charged by the state veterans' department.

The department can waive the fee if the family member can't afford it.

The bill by Larose Rep. Jerry "Truck" Gisclair was sent to the governor's desk with a 36-0 Senate vote Tuesday.